Apparatus for treating gases and gas mixtures by means of voltaic arcs.



No. 880,464. PATENTEDFEB. 25, 1908.

A. J. PETERSSON.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING GASES AND GAS MIXTURES BY MEANS OF VOLTAIG ARGS. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 6, 1905.

'2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 880,464. PATENTED FEB. 25, 1908.

A. J. PETBRSSON.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING GASES AND GAS MIXTURES BY MEANS OF VOLTAIC ARCS.

AP? LIUATION FILED SEPT.6, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

X W Kne sses the are as quick same, to let the arc act upon as many gas UNTLED TATEE PATENT @Fhiflhi.

ALBERT JOHAN PETERSSON, Oh ALBY, SWEDEN.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING GASES AND GAS MIXTURES BY MEANS OF VOLTAIC ARCS.

, Specification of Letters Patent.

No. sconce.

Patented Feb. 25, 1908.

Original application filed August '23. 1904. Serial No. 221.907. Divided and this application filed September 6. 1905- Serial No. 277.260.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit'known that I, ALBERTJOii-AN PETERssON, a subject of the King of Sweden, and resident of Alby, Sweden, have invented new :anduseful Improvements in Apparatus for "pounds obtained are,' however, again disassociated by the electric are, on account of which is, as will be easily understood, important to bring them away out of action of y as possible, or which is the molecules as possible.

The present invention relates to an appa- 4 ratus'for gaining the said result in a more perfect manner than heretofore, and my invention consists, principally, in the combination of a furnace chamber, electrodes extending in the same general direction in the said fur naoe chamber, a source of electric current connected to the said electrodes for creating electric arcs between the same, and means for creating electrodyiiamic forces foi' strengthenin the. displacing action upon the arcs exerted by the currents flowing through the electrodes to the said, arcs.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown diagrammatically some forms of my imroved apparatus.

teferring to Figure 1 of the drawin a representsthe walls of the .furnaceor c iamber containin the gases to be treated, provided withopemngs b, c for leading the gases into the apparatus and drawing oil the same therefrom. The electrodes (1, d, which should be insulated from the walls a if the latter are of electrically conducting material, are inside the gas-chamber bent andso arranged as to extend along or run parallel to each other. The parts 6, .e, of the electrodes extending alon each-other may be of different shapes for ifferent pur oses. They may thus be rectilinear, as is s iown in Fig.1, or they may be in the shape of spirals, circles, and so on.

It is not necessary that they are formed by linearconductors. They may be -surface shaped, consisting, for instance, of hollow metal cylinders, plates or like. F or promoting the striking of the arc the electrodes may at some suitable point be placed in poxiniity to each other, or any suitable device may be provided at that, point for striking the are through the mass of gas. striking of the arc may be facilitated'by means of temporary increase of the voltage at the electrodes, for instance by condenser discharges or the like, by an extra transformer for high voltage or the like.

After the arc, which may be considered to be. a movable conductor, has been struck at f, the same is displaced by electrodynamic forces created in the furnaceby leading electric. currents through electric conductors. Each of the successive arcs created atf will in the same manner be driven upwards, on account whereof the largest paft of the gas flowirn upwards will on different points be crosse by the successive arcsf The said electrodynainic forces may -be'created by means of specially generated currents,which are led through the one or both of the electrodes as is shown in Fig. 1. 'Dynaino machines g, g or other sources of electricity may thus be connected to each-or one of the electrodes so that each or one of the latter together with the source of current and the wires'form, a closed circuit 6, f, d, g. maincurrent forming the'arc and the currents generated by the source of current g may be of any suitable kind, whereby the forces acting'uponthe arc in accordance with the well known laws for the. action of electric currents upon each otherobtain a constant or alternate direction depending on the direction of the currents at every special moment.

Instead of leading the extra currents through the lectrodes, conductors for the said currents maybe provided, the said conductors being arranged in the apparatus in such manner that the currents flowing through the same have an GlQCtlOl'lYlltl-Hliu influence on the arcs.

Another device especially .ada ted for alternating current is shownin ig. 2. The conductors 71, dea'ding the current from the source of current 0 to the apparatus constitute primary circuits 2' of alternating current The \ the wires leadin transformers and continue thereupon to the electrodes (1, the ends of which are connected to the secondary circuits is of the said transformers so that the said secondary windings, the current to the elec trodes, and the. atter form closed circuits. This apparatus works asfollows. When the voltaic arc is formed any, the primary windings i are passed by acurrent which is equal to that in the arc, and thesaid current induces in the secondary windings 7r a current which is synchronous and may be adjusted so as to correspond in phase to the primary current, and the strength of which corn ared to that of the rimary circuit is as't e respective turns of the windings of the transformer reversed. It is thus possible to obtain in the secondary windings currents which are for instance 10-, 100, 1000 or more times stronger than that in the are, whereby a proportion ally stronger displacing influence on the are .is obtained.

Another constructional form of the ap aratus is shown in Fig. 3, in which the ei etrodes form spirals. The apparatus is provided with similar transformer device as that shown in Fig. 2. The parts e, e, of the electrodes between which the arcs are formed are spirally wound with the same pitch but with different diameters, the one spiral being placed within the other. During the o eration'the arcs will here run along the splrals Fig. 4, a cylinder Z of metal-plate constituting the one electrode, While the other elec trode 1s a spiral m.

magnetic circuit, as shown. The said spiral constitutes the rimary member of a transformer of which the said cylinder Z is the secondary member. The primary circuit is supplied with current from a series trans former 'i, 7c, inserted in the main circuit. The latter runs from the primary Winding'i of the transformer to the one end of the spiral and therefrom in forming the arc to the cylinder Z, and from the latterto the other pole of the source of current. The distance between the cylinder Z and the lower end of the spiral may in any suitable Way be decreased in order that the arcs may strike. The latter will under the influence of the currents flowing through The latter is placed on an iron core n suitably forming a closed shape of the electrodes, the principle of the invention being to provide means for exerting a {strengthened electrodynamic displacing action upon the arcs. e

In an ap lication', Serial N 0. 221907 filed August23r 1904, of which the, resent a plication is a division, I have 0' aimed te vmethod of treating gases and gas miatures by means ofvoltaic arcs, and I therefore, do not claim the said method here.

Having now described my invention What I claim as new ,and desireto secure by Letters Patentis: i

1. In an apparatus for treating gases by means of voltaic arcs thecombination of a furnace chamber, electrodes extending in the same general direction in the said 3. chamber, a source of electric current connected to the said electrodes for creating the said arcs between the latter, and means for creatin eleetrodynamic forces for strengthening t 1e displacing action on the arcs exerted by the currents flowing through the electrodes to the said arcs,'substantially as and for the purpose set forth. 2. In an apparatus for treating gases by means of voltaic arcs the combination, of'a furnace chamber, electrodes extending in the same general direction in the said furnace chamber, a source of electric current connected to the said electrodes for creating the said arcs between the latter, closed circuits of which each of the said electrodes form parts, and means for generating currents in the said closed circuits, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. 7

3. In an apparatus for treating gases by means of voltaic arcs the combination, of a furnace chamber, electrodes extending in the same general direction in the said furnace chamber, a source of electric current connected to the said electrodes for creating the said arcs between the latter, closed circuits of which the said electrodes form parts, and transformers the secondary members of which are connected in the said closed circuits and the primary members of which are connected to the said source of electric current, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALBERT JOHAN PETERSSON. Vitnesses:

ERNEST H. L. MUMMENIIOFF, OTTO WV. HELLMRIGH. 

